Adjustable Hinge Assembly for Cabinet Door Attachment Without Drilling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Built-in household appliances often have hinge mounts that do not align with those of existing cabinet doors, requiring modification of the cabinet door through milling or drilling to accommodate the appliance's unique shape and size.
Innovation Solution
A hinge assembly with a brace and rail system that allows for adjustable mounting of the hinge plates, enabling the cabinet door to be securely attached to the appliance without permanent modification, by sliding the hinge plates onto the rail and securing them to the appliance's hinge mounts.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If the cabinet door is modified by milling or drilling to accommodate the appliance's hinge mounts, then the hinge alignment is improved, but the cabinet door integrity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a mounting bracket as an intermediary component between the cabinet door and the appliance hinge mount. The bracket includes a first attachment portion that connects to the cabinet door at its original hinge mount location, and a second attachment portion that connects to the appliance hinge mount. This intermediary allows the two components with mismatched hinge locations to be connected without modifying the cabinet door, thereby maintaining door integrity while achieving proper hinge alignment.
2Manufacturing precision
If the cabinet door is modified by milling or drilling to accommodate the appliance's hinge mounts, then the hinge alignment is improved, but the manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting bracket serves as a pre-fabricated intermediary component that absorbs the manufacturing complexity. Instead of modifying the cabinet door, the bracket is manufactured separately with the appropriate geometry to bridge the mismatched hinge locations. This separates the modification process from the cabinet door manufacturing, making the door production simpler while still achieving accurate hinge alignment through the bracket's design.
Solution Approach 2:
The hinge mounting system is segmented into three separate components: the original cabinet door hinge mount, the mounting bracket with its two attachment portions, and the appliance hinge mount. This segmentation allows each component to be manufactured independently with its own optimal geometry, avoiding the need to modify the cabinet door while achieving proper alignment through the assembled system.
3Adaptability or versatility
If the hinge location on the cabinet door is changed to align with the appliance, then the adaptability is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The mounting bracket acts as an adaptable intermediary that can accommodate different hinge location mismatches. By adjusting the geometry or positioning of the bracket's attachment portions, it can adapt to various cabinet door and appliance combinations without requiring modifications to the door itself. This concentrates the adaptability requirement in the bracket component rather than increasing overall system complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
A cabinet door assembly for a household appliance that couples a cabinet door to the household appliance. The cabinet door assembly can include a cabinet door and hinge assembly. The hinge assembly can include one or more braces that secure to the cabinet door and repositionable hinges.